49ers, Seahawks defenses aren't playing by the rules

Sunday

Jan 19, 2014 at 12:01 AMJan 19, 2014 at 1:23 PM

Without question, it is an age of offense in pro football - passing offense in particular. There are star quarterbacks at every turn, and these playoffs were littered with them. The league's offensive numbers become ever more staggering. To some observers, the rule changes implemented over the past decade can be interpreted as the NFL all but banning the sort of rugged defense that once was celebrated.

Without question, it is an age of offense in pro football — passing offense in particular. There are star quarterbacks at every turn, and these playoffs were littered with them. The league’s offensive numbers become ever more staggering. To some observers, the rule changes implemented over the past decade can be interpreted as the NFL all but banning the sort of rugged defense that once was celebrated.

Little of that will be evident today in Seattle, however, when the Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers square off in the NFC title game. In the most passing-friendly era in the sport’s history, the NFC’s Super Bowl bid will be decided by teams that rely heavily on proud, hard-nosed defenses.

“We understand what we have to do to go up there and win,” said Donte Whitner, a 49ers safety and former Ohio State player. “Our defense has to be the best defense on the football field. We have to get turnovers. We possibly have to score on defense. We understand how to win that football game.”

Being the best defense on the field won’t be easy. The Seahawks tied for seventh in the NFL in rushing defense and were ranked first in passing defense, total defense and scoring defense. The 49ers were fourth in rushing defense, seventh in passing defense, fifth in total defense and third in scoring defense.

“It’s going to be physical,” Seahawks safety Earl Thomas said. “For guys like us, we like it that way. As a competitor, you want this to be a close game and you want it to be magnified so you can step up and make that play.”

It’s not that the Seahawks and 49ers don’t have standout quarterbacks. Seattle’s Russell Wilson and San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick have been part of the wave of dual-threat quarterbacks to have success in the league the past few seasons. Wilson was the NFL’s seventh-rated passer this season, and Kaepernick was 10th.

And it’s not that the two teams don’t have productive running games. They do, led by tailbacks Marshawn Lynch of Seattle and Frank Gore of San Francisco. The 49ers were third in the league in rushing offense, and the Seahawks fourth.

For Seattle, the stars are in the secondary, with Thomas and two cornerbacks — Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor — being selected for the Pro Bowl. But the Seahawks are much more than a shut-down secondary. Seattle led the NFL by allowing an average of 14.4 points per game and forced a league-high 39 turnovers.

Against the 49ers, first-year defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s unit probably won’t change a thing. This is not a group that offers wrinkles and tweaks from week to week.

“Coach Quinn’s big motto is, ‘They’re going to have to deal with us,’ and literally that’s all you have to do,” Sherman said. “You’re going to know exactly what call we’re in, you’re going to know exactly what defense we’re in.”

“And then,” Sherman added after a brief pause, “we’re going to win.”

The 49ers have their own aura of bravado, and rightly so. They were third in the NFL in points allowed, then shut down Carolina on the road in a 23-10 win last week that included a couple of goal-line stands.

“We (take) pride on keeping teams out of the end zone,” linebacker NaVorro Bowman said. “(When) we can hold up at the goal line four downs in a row, that just lets you know that we’re here to play and it’s going to be a long day.”

San Francisco takes pride and comfort in three of its four starting linebackers — Bowman, Ahmad Brooks and Patrick Willis — earning Pro Bowl honors. The Niners also have a stout pass rush with linebacker Aldon Smith and bullish tackle Justin Smith.

“Their four linebackers are really fantastic,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “Each guy has got special dimensions, and they’re athletic, they play with great energy, they’re natural football players. That’s really the heart of the problem: It’s those four guys.”

Such defenses have become largely endangered in recent years because of NFL rule changes. So playing the kind of defense that the Seahawks and 49ers play is no longer the norm. The Seattle secondary, in particular, has a reputation for being physical with receivers, and Sherman spent part of his week lamenting the way the game is played and officiated.

“Since these rules have come, you look up and every receiver, every play they could drop a wide-open pass and turn around and look for a flag,” he said. “I think that kind of ruins the game. That kind of ruins the intensity, the whole DNA of football and what it is, if you see flags every single play.”

Sherman, naturally, believes football should be played physically.

“A lot of people want to see great offense. You see great offense all the time,” he said. “We stand up there and have a dogfight every play.”

Information from(New York) Newsday and The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) was used in this story.

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